This invention relates to a machine for shaking a cut decorative tree such as a Christmas tree in order to vibrate loose needles from the tree.
A conventional Christmas tree shaker has a funnel-like holder adapted to receive the trunk of the tree and adapted to be vibrated in order to shake the tree. In some shakers, the holder is vibrated by orbiting the holder about the axis of a power-rotated drive shaft. The holders of prior shakers are oriented either horizontally or vertically. With a shaker having a horizontal holder, considerable manual effort is required to hold the tree up and to keep the end of the trunk securely seated in the vibrating holder during shaking of the tree. Less effort is required to hold the tree in place in a vertically oriented holder although relatively large effort is required to initially place a large tree in the holder. When the vertical holder is vibrated, the needles fall vertically and tend to fill up the holder and bury the tree shaker.
In some cases, shaking of the trees is performed at the tree farm by the grower who uses the power takeoff of a tractor to drive the tree shaker. Trees also are shook at retail lots where only a source of electrical power is available.